Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Economy

Indonesia is considering slapping 200% tariffs on imports from China

INDONESIA: Siti Faiza has been running Faiza’s Production House, a traditional women’s wear business in Solo, Central Java, since 2008.

Faiza began her entrepreneurial journey as a university student, designing and sewing garments at home. As her business grew, she enlisted the help of her neighbors to meet increasing demand. Today, Faiza’s Production House employs 12 tailors.

Despite her success, Faiza struggles to compete with cheaper imported garments, particularly from China. “I often see clothes online for as little as 40,000 rupiah ($2.65), which wouldn’t even cover my fabric costs. I always wonder how these prices are possible,” Faiza told Al Jazeera.

Indonesia’s government has acknowledged concerns from small business owners like Faiza, with Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan proposing tariffs of up to 200 percent on Chinese imports. Hasan cited the flood of Chinese goods, driven by the US-China trade war, as a threat to local businesses.

Faiza’s husband, Indrawan, fully supports the tariffs, stating, “I think we should reject imports entirely because they’re damaging local businesses. Indonesia already has a large local textile market, so why import?”

In June, thousands of workers in Jakarta protested against Chinese imports, prompting the government to consider tariffs as a measure to protect the country’s 64 million micro-, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

Avatar photo
Written By

I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.

Breaking News

A video allegedly featuring Dolphin Ayan, a well-known transgender figure in Peshawar, has gone viral on social media. In response, Ayan filed a police...

Breaking News

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was shocked upon arriving in China on Monday when no officials were there to greet her, prompting her to...

Latest Updates

HYDERABAD: Director General (Finance & Cooperation) of the Agriculture Department, Imdad Memon, a BS-20 officer, and six other co-accused were arrested on Tuesday after...

Entertainment

ISLAMABAD: Renowned actor Firdous Jamal’s wife has obtained a divorce after 35 years of marriage, as revealed by their son, Hamza Firdous, in a...